Small stream indicator advice

[Tennessee Jed]

Originally Posted by Worrgamesguy

So do the thingamabobbers slide easily? Seems like they would...

Yes, but they stay put regardless of tippet diameter. The smallest ones will float well even with two nymphs and split shot. They are SO much better than yarn indicators. I hate how the yarn indicators are so difficult to get off your leader once your line has locked into the rubber ring. You usually have to cut them off because your line gets so tangled up in the rubber ring.

[Troutman]

I learned many years ago to not use a strike indicator on the smokies streams by one of the best nymph fishermen around. Jim Parks taught me to high stick instead of lobbing a bobber & nymph rig. Its much more effective. You want a tippet connection knot about 2-3 ft above your top nymph. You watch the knot as you high stick the run. Another method is to intentionaly put a soft kink in the leader at the same location. When a fish bites, the kink with straighten out and you set the hook. Both methods are very effective and no bright yarn or bobber to spook wary fish.
For very low light conditions I will add a tiny piece of the foam roll-on strike indicator (made by Cortland in flat sheets) on the knot.

[tennswede]

Not to brag or anything, I don't have anything on my tippet. After many years on the circuit you just know when you have a strike.

[Wilson10]

Originally Posted by Grannyknot

Adam...shoot me an email when you get a minute.
Cody_Edrington@yahoo.com

Email Sent

awilson1010@gmail.com

Make sure I'm not SPAM

[Mundele]

I read somewhere that you can use a small balloon (like the kind sold for water balloons). barely inflate it, tie a knot,and then tie it onto your tippet. I bought some the other day but haven't tried them yet. Seems like they'd work well. Anyone tried this?

--Matt

[David Knapp]

Balloon indicators are for bigger water and probably would spook the fish except on the largest pools of the big park streams... They'll float a lot of weight though and would work very well when the water levels are up or the water is stained...

[Mundele]

Originally Posted by Mundele

I read somewhere that you can use a small balloon (like the kind sold for water balloons). barely inflate it, tie a knot,and then tie it onto your tippet. I bought some the other day but haven't tried them yet. Seems like they'd work well. Anyone tried this?

--Matt

Ok so I tried the balloons today and didn't much care for it. Actually fished without an indicator for quite a while and caught one, but it seemed much tougher to me. I'm pretty green though.

[Wilson10]

I finally got to try out my thingamabobbers last weekend. They floated great even with split shot. It did slide on me just slightly from time to time, but nothing major.

Overall I'm very pleased. I do have the smaller versions 1/2 inch I believe

[Tarheelflyfishing]

Originally Posted by tennswede

Not to brag or anything, I don't have anything on my tippet. After many years on the circuit you just know when you have a strike.

Same here...I usually let the fly drift and incorporate a few light twitches every ew seconds. For some reason, I always get fish when I jerk that fly up or twitch it slightly towards the surface. I guess the trout take it as an emerging bug...

[Mundele]

Originally Posted by Wilson10

I finally got to try out my thingamabobbers last weekend. They floated great even with split shot. It did slide on me just slightly from time to time, but nothing major.

Overall I'm very pleased. I do have the smaller versions 1/2 inch I believe

The thingamabobbers slipped on me pretty badly. I met ChemEAngler at Troutfest and we were discussing these indicators. He said he gets small o-rings from the hardware store and cuts them, threads them through the hole and re-glues them with superglue. The rubber ring (o-ring) doesn't slip like the metal grommet through the thingamabobber. I've not tried it yet but it sounds like it'd work.

I had more knots when using thingamabobbers but it could just be my crappy casting.

--Matt